Ajax Youth System

Yesterday Ajax played ADO Den Haag in the Dutch competition. They beat them easily 4-0. The interesting bit is that in the starting line-up it was filled with homegrown players. Maarten Stekelenburg, Nigel de Jong, Johnny Heitinga, Wesley Sneijder, Daniel de Ridder, and Ryan Babel all started this game. Actually John O'Brien can be added to that list as well. These guys have been at Ajax since they were 9-10 years old (O'Brien being an exception as he came when he was 14 form the USA and Stekelenburg who came when he was 15). And that is without club vice-captain and the biggest homegrown talent of them all, Rafael van der Vaart. They all went through the whole youth system and now they are in the first team. I don't think any big club in Europe can do that.

Ajax is famous for their youth system. It scouts and take very young kids, then nurture and grow them in the Ajax culture. They learn how to play in the Ajax system and what it means and takes to be an Ajax player. Unlike other big European clubs who buy their players. Some will say that Manchester Utd was succesful with the likes of Becks, the Neville brothers, Scholes, Butt, Giggs but truth is that those players came from other clubs and only joined Man Utd at the age of 15-16. There is a lot of difference between a 15 year old teenager and a 9 year old kid.

Every now and then Ajax seem to produce a bunch of talents. Last time around it was the class of 94-95 (Kluivert, Davids, Seedorf, Reiziger, Reuser, Musampa). Mixed with some of the class of 90-92 (Bergkamp, de Boer twins, van der Sar, Witschge) Ajax won the Champions League in 1995. Maybe this generation will win it again next year?

The starting line-up from the past 3 matches. Players marked with a * are homegrown talents.
vs ADO Den Haag (01/02):
Stekelenburg*; de Jong*, Heitinga*, Escude, O'Brien*; Galasek, Sneijder*, Maxwell; De Ridder*, Babel*, Sikora

vs NEC (25/01):
Stekelenburg*; de Jong*, Heitinga*, Escude, O'Brien*; Galasek, van der Vaart*, Sneijder*; De Ridder*, Sonck, Sikora

vs Roda JC (21/01)
Stekelenburg*; Grygera, Heitinga*, Escude, O'Brien*; Galasek, van der Vaart*, Sneijder*; Soetaers, Sonck, Sikora